[HamRadioRocks]

I first discovered Peak Oil in April 2005. For the first several days of my Peak Oil Awareness, I freaked out. I spent hours each of the first several days boning up on Peak Oil, hoping to find a way out of it and ways to prepare for it. I recovered from the initial shock, but I've kept at least one eye open on the issue ever since.

Peak Oil wasn't a 100% shock for me. I knew ever since I was a child (I'm now 32) that there are too many people consuming too many resources, our fossil fuel addiction needs to be cured (due to limited supply and the pollution and global warming it causes), and gold-plating everything won't make me any happier or improve my quality of life.

Although I never was a hyperconsumer to begin with, Peak Oil Awareness did cause subtle changes in my behavior:
1. I made extra efforts to cut back on my driving. I wasn't able to make drastic changes, because I had already made the easy cuts, such as combining trips whenever possible. But I have noticed that I'm less likely to go out for a drive to explore the area.
2. At the time I found out about Peak Oil, I was looking for a house to rent. (There were two non-Peak Oil related reasons. First, I needed a place where I had freedom to put up big antennas for amateur radio, and I had a proven record as the Jessica Simpson of stealth apartment antennas. Second, I had FAR more problems with the apartment I was renting than with any of the previous 3 apartments I had ever rented before.) Peak Oil influenced me to live close enough to work (1 mile) that I had the option of walking to work. I don't exercise this option as often as I should, but driving 1 mile to work is better than driving 2, 5, 10, or more miles to work. However, I am proud that at my current residence, I can (and do) walk to a barbershop, video rental places, drugstores, Ace Hardware, and a Hy-Vee grocery store. Even before I was Peak-Oil aware, I liked being able to walk to complete errands because I need the exercise.
3. This past winter, Peak Oil awareness (along with my increasing natural gas bill) convinced me to turn the thermostat down from 67 degrees to 63 degrees from Thanksgiving to sometime in March. This was an easy adjustment to make. Although my house felt like a cryogenic chamber initially, I did get used to it after several days. I switched from long-sleeves pajamas to sweats to deal with the cold. Unfortunately, I haven't cut my use of air conditioning - I still set the window air conditioner's temperature setting to maintain an inside temperature of around 79 degrees. There's only so much cooling you can get by removing clothes. This winter, I might see if I can get by with an indoor temperature of only 61 degrees. The only problem with conserving my use of heating and cooling is that when I go out somewhere, I freeze in the summer and roast in the winter.
4. My next-door neighbor convinced me to add insulation to the exterior of my windows this past winter. (The insulation consists of clear plastic sheets stapled to the wood around the windows through cardboard strips.) I didn't insulate all my windows this way (left a few uninsulated for the better view) but did insulate most of them.

Tonight, I saw a documentary (sponsored by the local Green Party, which I agree with but don't politically support) about how Cuba survived its own Peak Oil crisis. It was VERY inspiring, but I'll talk about this in another post.

I really need to take action to prepare for Peak Oil. I conserve more, but I probably conserved better than 90%+ of the population before I was Peak Oil aware.

[PenultimateManStanding]

I don't have air conditioning. Lately it's been quite hot. My solution is to put water on myself and let the fan cool me off. Works great! Welcome, BTW. I can't remember what my first post was.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'M')y solution is to put water on myself and let the fan cool me off.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'M')y solution is to put water on myself and let the fan cool me off.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'A')re you guys enjoying a nice cool winter down there, rog? The northern hemisphere is cooking.

[Laurasia]

Wet and windy sounds rather nice right about now. 90 degrees F. at 10:40pm. We had 104 today. It ought to be illegal.

I need to find a cool, dark cave.

L.

[smiley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pen..', 'B')TW. I can't remember what my first post was.

[eric_b]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') don't have air conditioning. Lately it's been quite hot. My solution is to put water on myself and let the fan cool me off. Works great! Welcome, BTW. I can't remember what my first post was.

[seldom_seen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HamRadioRocks', 'T')onight, I saw a documentary (sponsored by the local Green Party, which I agree with but don't politically support) about how Cuba survived its own Peak Oil crisis. It was VERY inspiring, but I'll talk about this in another post.

[whatpeak]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'I') live in Humboldt Country on the North Coast of California behind the Redwoods. It was 68 and sunny today. It was 68 and sunny yesterday. From October to April it was 53 and rainy. it's all about balance.

Welcome to the future. You have to have a droll sense of humor and a thick skin to survive here. It helps to have a probing mind and some analytical skills because the smart people will make you feel like cah cah unless you can defend your propositions and make sense.

[thethief]

I just torched 30 gallons of gasoline to make up for your losses.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smiley', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pen..', 'B')TW. I can't remember what my first post was.